Aim: To evaluate the attitudes towards deceased multi-organ donation and transplantation among nurses within the critical care units of the six public tertiary transplant hospitals in Madrid, Spain.
Background: Spain has a rate of 49 donations per million population, whereas Madrid has a lower donation rate of 34.2 per million population. Nurses generate social opinion, and their attitude can be one of the barriers against organ donation.
Method: An observational descriptive study was conducted among critical care units' nurses. The measuring instrument was the Collaborative International Donor Project in Organ Donation and Transplantation. Data were collected from January to October 2019, and a statistical analysis was performed.
Results: A total of n = 313 questionnaires achieved a response rate of 51%. Of the intensive care unit nurses surveyed, 85% had a favourable opinion towards the donation of their organs being affected by psychosocial variables related to social variables with respect to family, religion and attitude towards the body.
Conclusion: The intensive care unit nurses of the Madrid transplant hospitals maintain a favourable attitude towards organ donation and transplantation. It is necessary to implement specialized training and periodically evaluate training in this sector. To maintain and improve the attitude towards organ donation, family discussion among health personnel should be encouraged. Religion influences the attitude of nurses and donation rates.
Implication for nursing and health policy: Intensive care nurses' attitude towards organ donation is influenced by social variables. This study shows that the attitude is positive but improvable. These findings contribute to promote awareness of the lack of organs and the benefits of organ donation.
Keywords: Spain; intensive care units; nursing research; observational study; tissue and organ procurement; transplantation.
© 2020 International Council of Nurses.